


Fire & Honey

by rosesfortrinity



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, EXO - Freeform, F/M, Kai - Freeform, Kim Jongin - Freeform, Music, Musicians, Smut, exo kai, exo kai smut, jongin smut, kai smut, kpop
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-28 01:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15037313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesfortrinity/pseuds/rosesfortrinity
Summary: Mia, a girl from an archaic village in a land before anything that we know today, dabbled in something that she should not have. She now faces the constant repercussions of the hell that is eternal life.One day, she stumbles across a frazzled man, only for him to immediately disappear. Imagine both of their shock when they run into each other decades later, both looking exactly the same, neither having aged a day.Mia and Jongin venture off to find solutions for both of the curses they are faced with, but can the time traveler with no control of where he goes, or when, and the immortal girl piece the solutions together fast enough?





	1. Chapter 1

Did you know that drinking Ambrosia is one of the most euphoric feelings in the entire world? 

It is smoother than any cream I have ever tasted and sweeter than the sweetest honey.

Nobody in our village would ever dabble in it. There were the rumors and gossip of the hells of everlasting life associated with it, and not once did I believe it. It was the fault of an old traveler. He claimed to have been across many continents. In a land ruled by a man named, “Zeus,” the ambrosia plant was what their deities drank to stay alive forever. The tales were laced in mythology, and grew more exuberant as they were shared over time, and I was not one to dabble in the falsehoods of religions and campfire stories used to frighten children away from indulging themselves in things that could be addictive.

It was interesting to me, however, that none of the older folks every touched the plant either. They discussed fears of watching anybody that they ever loved die. They would spend years attempting to chop, burn, and uproot the plants that provided the nectar. Every time, it failed. The plant would return the following spring as though it had never been touched. 

Initially, I was under the impression that this was where they pulled the story of immortality from. This plant would not die, and therefore, anybody that consumed it would not either.

I grew tired of the tales, though. I had fantasies about tasting it and proving everybody wrong. I imagined the praise that I would get for being brave enough to step forward and take the risk that nobody else seemed to be willing to. The village could be so much happier if we had something that, supposedly, made you a better person just by consuming it. Could you imagine? Something that made you so happy that you simply wanted to be a better person because of it?

So I did.

One day, after I had finished helping my mother around the house and my father with the harvest, I decided to wander a bit. We were not expected to deliver any of the crops until next week, so my afternoon was freed. I wandered through our village and took in the sights. Well, as many “sights” as you can when everybody resides in little huts in a valley at the base of a mountain. I said hi to many people and played with a couple of the village children. 

Eventually, I made my way into the forest where I knew the ambrosia rested.

Sure enough, I eventually came across it. It was a tall, green weed-like bush. I ran my hand along the edge of it. 

“So you’re what everyone is making a huge deal about, huh?” I anxiously nibbled at my lip. My brow furrowed and I felt an annoyance overcome me.

How stupid. It was just a dumb, ordinary plant. 

I plucked a handful of leaves. I kept waiting for something extraordinary to happen. Maybe this “magic” plant was going to glow or tremble or do, well, anything. The tales had made it out to be so powerful, and yet, again, nothing happened. I rolled my eyes at the lackluster performance of the ambrosia.

“I bet you taste like nothing, too.” I muttered under my breath as I turned back to go home. I scoffed as I meandered through town, wondering if all of my secretive “rebellion” to drink the plant was even worth it anymore. I had been hiding my agenda from my family and friends, but I felt silly for doing so now.

I decided to see it all the way through, though.

I got home and lit a small fire to set a pot filled with water on. I grabbed a cloth and tied it closed with the leaves inside of it. Once the water was boiling, I set the cloth bag inside of the water and let the leaves steep into the water. I took a jar of honey that my mother had made and added a bit to it. I was not a huge fan of tea as is, but I did love honey a lot.

I smelled the drink, again, expecting something marvellous. 

Again, I was let down.

I took a sip.

That was when my world changed. 

It was the most flavorful drink that I had ever tasted. A soft, sweet flavor flooded my mouth. It was smooth and bright. The honey I added was almost a little bit too much, as the ambrosia leaves themselves had created enough of a flavor. 

I let the tea flow down my throat, creating a warmth in my belly from its warm temperature. I drank the rest of it much faster than I actually intended to. I wanted to savor its taste, but I also wanted to enjoy it all immediately. I do not remember even pulling my lips away from the glass. 

I desperately wanted more. I licked my lips to take in any tiny, final drops that I could. I eyed the bottom of my glass, heartbroken that it was empty.

I tried to feel if I felt any other side effects. I wanted to know if I had actually just become immortal. What would immortality feel like? Would I glow? People said that gods were glowing and radiant, and, if this was how they become immortal, is this how they got their “glow?”

I felt stupid. Did I actually just expect a golden glow to come over me? I rolled my eyes at myself. 

After awhile, I still felt exceptionally ordinary. The sun was starting to set, and I heard my mother coming in to ask me to help her with preparing dinner. I tossed the cup aside and mumbled under my breath about how dumb legends were.

Time went on. I never mentioned my decision to break the village rules, at risk of, I don’t know, a flogging? There were no actual punishments set in place, but I decided to avoid risking it and just kept my secret to myself; especially considering the fact that literally nothing at all had happened.

Nothing that I could initially tell.

I will not bore you with my day to day for the next fifteen years, but, as you can assume, it was pretty easy to assume that I was caught by still looking twenty-five when I was supposed to be forty.

I was excommunicated from my home. My parents, ripe with old age at this point, escorted me out. I was left on the forest trail with nothing but a bag of clothes, some food, and my parents shame hanging over my head. My mother sobbed, but refused to tell me goodbye. My father cupped my shoulder. He pulled me in and kissed my forehead and whispered, “ah, Mia. Sweet Mia. Why?”

I never gave him an answer.

I never saw them again.

I wandered for hours that day and night. I followed the path through several other tiny towns. I did not sleep. I could not bring myself to close my eyes without seeing my parents’ pained expressions burned into my skull. I did not want to stop walking. I did not have any desire to end up rooted anywhere. Maybe I would just walk forever.

A few days later, however, I had to. I was tired. I was sore. My feet ached as though they had been over every stone in the world. I walked up to a nearby river and dipped my feet in. The movement of the water was soothing. I laid backward in the grass and soaked in the sunshine that beat down on my skin.

I must have fallen asleep. Days and days worth of a journey finally defeated me. 

I do not know how long I slept for, but I awoke on something softer than the ground I remembered passing out on. It was a gentle cloth and I felt a warmth spreading across my face. A flickering light danced through my closed eyelids, and, for a moment, I had forgotten that I was in an extremely stressful situation.

However, when I opened my eyes, I was immediately brought back to my reality.

I jumped up when I saw a fire in front of me. I realized that my feet were no longer dipped in the river, but that I had been completely moved away from the water. I was further in the clearing than I remembered. The sound of trickling water was distant now.

“Woah! She lives!” 

I spun around on my heels and saw a man sitting in front of the fire. His hands were raised in the air, and he said, “I come in peace! I promise!”

“Who are you?” I spit out sharply.

“Come here. Sit down. You need to stay by the water to stay warm. You had wet feet and it was starting to get cold. Let’s make sure that you don’t get sick.”

He picked up the blanket that I had thrown off of my body and opened it up again. I hesitated, but the shiver down my spine told me that I needed to listen to him.

“I’m Junmyeon.” he stuck his hand out for me to shake it. I did.

“What are you doing out here?” I asked him.

“Strange. I was gonna ask you that same question.” He cocked an eyebrow and I sighed.

“I messed up. Bad. I left home.” saying it that way, as if I had a choice, made me feel a bit better, “and so, here I am. I don’t know what to do or where to go.”

Junmyeon tilted his head to the side and took the sight of me in. I was sure that I looked a mess, so imagine my surprise when he said, “you’re really beautiful.”

Before I could respond, he cut me off, “let’s go. Let’s get you somewhere to stay for a bit.”

Needless to say, after that first night, we fell in love. I knew that it was a mistake. I knew that I could not have settled down. I do not know why I did. 

But I did.

It was perfect. Junmyeon was strong and sturdy. He was protective and took amazing care of me. I could not help but adore him with all that I was. I had spent so much time in my home village avoiding people once I made the realization that I wasn’t aging, that it was so nice to be around somebody else. I had not felt the feeling of being in love yet, and it was exhilarating. Despite how horrible I knew every single night that it was going to end, I could not help but stay. 

I suppose it was the feeling of being exiled that caused me to latch to the very first human that I had come into contact with. 

Of course, that fell apart after time as well.

Time. My curse.

Junmyeon had started to age. Well, I would like to add. Like a fine wine. The older he got, the more distinguished he looked. 

One morning, I woke up and reached for him, only to not feel him by my side. I wrapped up and went out front, and found him standing, staring at the sunrise.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I muttered as I wrapped my arms around his torso. I was taken aback when he pushed my hands off.

“Who are you?” 

His question bit me like a venomous snake. I knew that this day would come, I had just hoped that it would not be today. Or tomorrow. No day would have been a good day, but I wish I could have embraced our last night as, well, just that. Our last night. 

“I’m, well, I’m me. What’s going on?” I hoped that I had just caught him on an off day, and it was not my deepest fear coming to light, but that was not the case.

“Who. Are. You?” Every word was harsh and mean. There was a deep fire in his eyes that burned any love he had for me away right in front of my face. His jaw clenched and he stared at me. A silence screamed between us. I felt my chest tighten and my rib cage was suffocating me.

“I…” 

Although I attempted to give him an explanation, he held up a hand.

“No. Actually, I don’t need another lie from you.” His words were being said with hurt, and they were hurting me right back.

“I didn’t lie to you about everything,” my eyes squeezed shut, that was the wrong thing to say.

“But you did lie. So there was lying.” Junmyeon laughed. It was a bitter laugh.

“I love you. I have loved you from the beginning. I will always love you,” I started sobbing. The word “always” struck a chord with me. It was true, probably. I would never, ever forget my first love, and I knew that Junmyeon would be carried with me forever, quite literally.

“You sold your soul to a god? You, what, you dabbled in some sort of sorcery? How is it that I have continued to tread the normal path of life and you look exactly as you did the day I pulled your feet out of the river? It has been twenty years.”

That number struck me. I had, technically, been forty when I met Junmyeon. Was I really sixty years old, but in the same body from that day in the forest that I decided to rebel and drink the damned ambrosia?

“It’s why you left your home, isn’t it?”

“It’s more complicated than that, Junmyeon, it’s…”

He raised his hand to shut me up.

“Please.” It came out soft, “please. Just, no more. Go. Go away.”

I turned around and walked into the house again. I packed up my clothes. This all-too-familiar feeling was sinking my stomach to my feet. I felt heavy. It had been twenty years since I had been forced to leave a home because of my stupid mistake.

When I made my way back through the house, I hung my head as I passed Junmyeon in our kitchen. He grabbed my arm gently, but with enough force to stop me. I looked up at him, and tears brimmed his eyes. He handed me a bag of food. He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me close. To my surprise, he kissed my forehead. 

But he did not ask me to stay. He did not change his mind.

I was walking again.

Anticipating this day did not make it any easier. I had always expected to leave Junmyeon on my terms. I did not every want it to be like this. It would have never gone well, I suppose. I was always going to hurt like this as I left our home behind. 

I had wasted his life. He could have been with somebody who he could actually grow old with. Somebody who could have given him children to watch grow up and play with. I had taken that from him. 

This was just as hard as leaving my parents behind.

I could not do this anymore. Ever again.

I spent the next several decades just traveling. I would not stay for anywhere for longer than five to ten years, or make friends, or work in jobs that required extensive social interaction. It was a means to survive for food and shelter. If any work had anything to do with talking to people in more than polite, passing conversation, I wanted nothing to do with it.

Occasionally, I would find someone that I rather enjoyed. 

I always moved the next day.

Centuries went by. 

I will say, it was phenomenal to see the birth of so many amazing advances in things. I saw the birth of steel buildings, cars, machines to make things faster. I saw currency change and everything grew at such a rapid pace. It was beautiful. It was also terrifying to know that I would see so much and never be able to stop seeing things, no matter how tired I became.

One day, in 1926 London, I was sitting at an outdoor table at my favorite restaurant. It was early morning and I was enjoying a cup of coffee. The steam raised up from my mug, and I raised it to my nose to embrace the aroma.

I watched as the street began to come alive. Women in their beautiful corsets and dresses and men in their suspenders all began to roam the streets a bit. Automobiles were still so surreal to see, and I loved watching everybody around me move.

As I watched, I noticed a man who seemed drastically out of place. He ran his hands through long hair and his face was etched with panic and concern. He was walking in circles and muttering to himself. 

He was handsome. His jawline sharp and his lips full and pink. I had not seen a man this handsome, well, in my opinion at least, since Junmyeon.

I set my mug down and crossed the sidewalk to him. 

“Sir, are you alright?” I flashed a friendly smile and he looked puzzled at me, as though he was not sure if I were actually there or not.

“I’m, um, I’m not sure…” He bit his lip in between his teeth and he ran his hands through his hair again. I offered to buy him a cup of coffee and guided him to my table.

“What has you in a tizzy?”

“I was just… how did I… Where am I? What year is it?!”

“I’m Mia. You’re in London. It’s 1926. Where do you think you are?” I was concerned that he would become a liability and I would be responsible for this potential lunatic that I would have to take to a hospital for psychiatric help at the rate that he was talking.

“I’m Jongin… This… How… I was just in the Philippines. I was on an archaeological… I was… It’s not 1973?”

“Philippines? What?” I furrowed my brow and I turned to make sure that I was, actually, in London. He was speaking in gibberish, for all that I was concerned.

I turned back to Jongin, and he was gone. I blinked and stood up, walking in circles and along the street, but he was nowhere to be found. Confusion danced in my head. Who had that man been? Where had he gone?

After a few weeks, however, he faded from mind. I had never seen him again, so I assumed that he had found whatever questions to his answers he was looking for.

I moved around a few more times. Another thirty years passed, and although each day was so long, the years seemed to fly by. Suddenly, it was 1956 and I was restless again. It was coming on some time that I had been home, and surely, after a few centuries, nobody would remember my face anymore. 

I turned in the keys to my temporary home and went to tell my boss that I was resigning from my job. I missed my valley at the bottom of the mountain. 

Several boats and car rides from strangers and miles of foot trekking later, days that spanned into weeks, I was home. It looked drastically different. I had managed to avoid going through the town Junmyeon and I had lived in. I still was not able to face that place yet, even after all of this time.

The town was bustling. It was beautiful to see that it had endured the tests of time.

Time.

I walked around and took in the new shops and places to eat and drink. Flower carts lined the streets and their aromas met my nose with a pleasant scent. It was comforting to be back.

The sun was beginning to set as I decided that I should find a way to pay for a place to stay for the night. I managed to charm the owner of a small inn to let me stay if I promised to work for a few nights to make up the fees. I told them that I planned on being around for a while, and that I could potentially be permanent help. 

As I was returning from picking up some food for dinner that night, I was stopped dead in my tracks.

There he was. It was the man from London thirty years ago.

But he still looked the same.

He still looked the exact same age as he did all of those years ago. He had the same pained look on his face. It was not a face one could easily forget. He did not have “just one of those faces.” His face was a very good face, and it was a face I had expected to never see again.

I walked up to him, grabbing his arm.

He looked just as taken aback by me as I was by him. Neither of us knew what to say, but somehow managed to mutter the same three words at the same time.

“What the hell?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mia, a girl from an archaic village in a land before anything that we know today, dabbled in something that she should not have. She now faces the constant repercussions of the hell that is eternal life.  
> One day, she stumbles across a frazzled man, only for him to immediately disappear. Imagine both of their shock when they run into each other decades later, both looking exactly the same, neither having aged a day.  
> Mia and Jongin venture off to find solutions for both of the curses they are faced with, but can the time traveler with no control of where he goes, or when, and the immortal girl piece the solutions together fast enough?

MIA’S HOME VILLAGE 1956  
I dragged Jongin to my room at the inn. This did not make any sense. It just was not possible. Then again, I was not exactly “possible” either.  
Once the door clicked shut behind me, I snapped. “Who in the hell are you? How do you look the same? What is going on?” I spit out question after question. I knew that I was not giving him sufficient time to answer a single one, but I was far too frazzled to be able to think logically. My brain was moving at millions miles an hour.  
Had somebody else had the ambrosia? Had somebody else become like me?  
He sat down at the table in the room and raised his hands in the air in a surrender. I realized that I was pacing, and I was probably making him more anxious than I needed to. I forced myself to slow down and take a deep breath, then I took the seat on the other side of the table, and tried to show him that I was willing to listen to him.  
“How long has it been since I have seen you?” He asked. Here he was, not answering a single one of my questions, and he’s opening with one of his own?! I felt like throwing something at him, but figured now was not the time.  
“Thirty years.” I sighed and crossed my legs under the table. This was going to be a long night.  
His brow furrowed at my answer though.   
“But, how do you…” He started to ask, but I interrupted him, shaking my head.  
“You first.” He made a face but started in on his story like it wasn’t going to be outlandish. Decades of living beside the normal people taught me how to interpret my own oddity. He wasn’t like that though.  
“I was on an archeological dig in the Philippines. We were cataloguing the volcanic ash from Kan Laon. It has a unique chemical composition that makes it particularly rare. After working for a few weeks, I wanted to go higher on the peak to see if I could better samples. The guides told me not to, going on about some superstitious story of the king in the mountain. I didn’t listen.  
When I got near the opening of the volcano, I was approached by a strange old man. He asked me if I had a way to light a tobacco pipe. He surprised me but I tried to ignore him. I thought I was far too busy to acknowledge an elderly man’s bad habits.”  
He bit his lip as he hesitated, and I raised an eyebrow to urge him to move on. “You’re not going to believe me if I tell you the next part.” He blushed.  
I laughed out loud. “I look the same after thirty years. I have my own absolutely unbelievable story. So try me.” I gestured for him to go on with his ‘unbelievable’ story. His shoulders slumped and he ran his hands through his hair, nervously.  
“Okay. After the third time that he had asked me to light his pipe, I told him to go away, that I was busy. I may have used the words, ‘fuck off, you old nag’. Turns out that was a bad idea, because he was,” a pause, a deep breath, “Kan-Laon, the God of Time who lived inside of the volcano I was on.” He stared at me, unblinking, waiting for a reaction. Was he waiting for me to laugh again? To tell him he was insane? That there were no such thing as gods and man create chaos for themselves?  
When none of that came out of my mouth, he looked panicked all over again.  
“Who are you that this fantastical story doesn’t phase you in the slightest?” He raked his hands through his hair again.  
“Your story doesn’t explain how you’re here, looking the exact same as you did when I saw you so long ago.” I ignored his question. I was determined to find out who this man was, and admittedly, slightly disappointed that he was not a fellow victim of ambrosia. But he had his own amazing story that I needed to hear the end of.  
“I promise that I will tell you my story, I will. I just, I need to hear the end of yours.”  
“You don’t understand,” he huffed, frustrated. “I don’t know that I’ll have the time! I never know if I have time. It’s terrifying and maddening!” Seeing how crazed he seemed to be over it, I caved.  
“Fine. Okay. Long story short, many, many, years ago, I was born in this very town. Back then, we had nothing as extravagant or modern. Not even plumbing. It was a simple little village where we plowed the land by hand, and survived by the will of the gods.”  
“Some ‘Little House on the Prarie,’ type stuff, huh?” Jongin cocked his head to the side and looked at me.  
“I’ve heard of those books. Haven’t read them yet,” I chuckled. “Anyway, there was this story about a magical plant called Ambrosia that grew near my village. Everyone was afraid of it, because it was supposed to curse you with immortality. I thought that was a stupid thing to be afraid of, so I drank it.” I gestured to myself grandly, “and here I am.”  
Jongin rubbed his temples. “I just–none of this makes sense. Immortality? The God of Time? This is all old wives tales to scare kids, right? The volcano was called Kan Laon. It wasn’t supposed to house an actual deity that could send people spiraling forever.”  
“What do you mean?” I asked.  
“The reason I was so scared when I saw you before was because that was my first time being sent somewhere by Kan-Laon. I always end up in some random place in some different time. I was in a place called ‘Texas’ in 1836 for around two weeks at one point. Let me tell you, Santa Ana is an intense man. I think three visits ago I was in Seoul, South Korea in the year 2017 for a few hours.” He listed off his destinations so nonchalantly, like they weren’t magnificent!  
“2017?! That is amazing! What’s the future like?” I jumped to my feet and rounded the table. I realized that I had come on a bit strong when he flinched away from me, and I stepped back. When I was back in my seat, he went on.  
“I guess it’s beautiful, and I wish that I could enjoy each experience. I’m on edge at every moment, though. It’s hard to eat or talk to people to ask for shelter or even a goddamn shower because I’m never sure if I’m going to end up disappearing half way through a meal.” Upon hearing about food, I hiccuped in realization that I completely forgot what I’d been doing before he appeared. Keeling down, I rummaged through the bag of groceries I was supposed to take to the inn owner, Mr. Wilkins. Oops, I should probably do that. What if Jongin was gone when I got back, though? Risking it anyway, I handed Jongin a slice of bread, some cheese, and an apple. I pointed at him and said, “Stay right there!”  
He accepted the food and, with a mouth full of apple, said, “like I have any control over that!”  
I sprinted out with the bags and rounded the inn to the front door, the bags of groceries in hand for poor Mr. Wilkins. Thankfully he was behind the counter and thanked me when I practically threw the bags at him. He asked if I was hungry and if I wanted to stay for dinner but I quickly shoot my head, adding a hurried goodnight over my shoulder as I rushed back out. I didn’t mean to leave him scratching his head, but there was a ticking clock sitting at my kitchen table. When I threw my door open again, I was ecstatic to see Jongin still there. He was stoically staring out of the window, towards the forest where my life changed forever.  
“I feel like I’ve been here before.” He said when he heard me walk into the room. I sat on the bed and folded my legs underneath me.  
He was a vision, honestly. His profile was accented by the setting sun glowing through the window. It was difficult not to admire his sharp jawline and full lips. His eyes, although wearing a permanent, distressed expression, were deep and beautiful. He was tall and had broad shoulders that reminded me far too much of Junmyeon…  
“It was much earlier than this, though. Back when electricity had just been introduced to the general public. I came through in a panic, but an older couple found me in the woods and offered to let me stay with them. Their home had been quaint and quiet, and they shared stories of their village while we ate. The local legend of the girl who never grew old…” his voice trailed off as he looked at me again. I waved unapologetically.  
“Hi. Local legend, at your service.”  
“What’s it like? Watching everything change over time?” he asked me.  
I sighed at the depth of it. It was the type of commentary that I’d never had to think of, because I figured I’d never get the chance to explain it to anyone.  
“Honest answer? It is exhausting. Everybody knows that their time is coming. They know that they are going to die eventually. They get to rest at the end of their life. My life has no end. Although I have seen the advancement of incredible technology, I am drained of it. I would give anything to never see one more new invention. At least you’re witnessing the world change in bursts. I am forced to experience forever every single second at a time. It’s agonizing.”  
“Have you ever thought about…” Jongin trailed off, but I understood what he meant. I nodded, but did not elaborate. He did not ask for explanation either.  
He came and sat on the bed with me and we spent the rest of the night exchanging stories of the things that we had seen. I told Jongin about how I traveled with no concern of getting anywhere fast. I would, more than likely, see the world ten thousand times before it fell apart under my feet.   
Jongin’s tales were more exciting. He told me of buildings that stretched for miles in the sky, telephones that fit in the palm of peoples’ hands and you could see each other’s faces on while you talked. He told me about the place he’d been before here. One time in particular, when he was sent somewhere where all he could do was lay in an empty field because there was absolutely no civilization around him. No lights, no houses. Not even a flame to show where somebody might be.  
“Surprisingly though, that was actually one of my favorite nights, looking back.” He admitted. “I was able to just lay in silence and think for once. It was mesmerizing watching the stars as they slowly skimmed the sky. I didn’t move for hours, but was pretty disappointed to wake up in the middle of the 1950’s…here.” He rubbed his eyes in exhaustion and leaned back against the headboard. He turned and looked at me sitting next to him on the bed cross-legged and I couldn’t help but gaze at the soft smile on his lips. “I will say, though…running into you again was a welcomed change.”  
“Maybe we can keep letting this happen, though!” I sat up suddenly, “What if we wrote down everywhere in the future that you can remember! We can try to cross paths!” I rummaged for a pen and found one in the night stand of the inn drawer. I grabbed a piece of scrap paper and scribbled “Seoul, South Korea, 2017” on it. My eyes jumped to his face, eager for the next place.  
His brow furrowed.  
“I’m not sure, to be honest. I can’t recall everywhere. I know I end up on the Great Wall of China in 1983. I only know that because I asked a tourist what year it was. I have no idea where specifically I land, though. It’s about three days that I’m there, but the month and date, I couldn’t tell you.” Slightly disheartened, but not defeated, I scribbled down “1983. All of the Great Wall of China.” Jongin recited a long list of places, most of which, unfortunately, were in the past. But after adding “Macchu Picchu, 1964, Dubai, 2006, and Athens, Greece, 2028,” we had at least some form of a map for me to use.  
“This is great. I can at least attempt to meet up with you in a few different places!” I looked up and saw that Jongin did not seem as excited as I was. “What? What is it?” I asked.  
“I’ve already been to all of these places, and you weren’t there once. If this plan worked, Wouldn’t I recognize you from all of them?”  
He had a point, and I did not like that. I nibbled at my bottom lip,  
“I mean, I guess that makes sense, but I have not been to those times yet. So, I did not know about them yet? Is that how this works? Can I go now that I do know? Or do you think it’s already set in stone that…” I stopped talking when I realized that Jongin had fallen asleep.  
Poor guy. I could not even begin to imagine the toll that this took on him. I huffed and assumed that I would have to just find out for myself. I draped a blanket over him. Hopefully he would get a decent amount of rest before he woke up or was sent somewhere else. There was no way I could sleep right away, however. My thoughts were racing. Was he lying? Was there really a god of time who lived in a volcano and could curse people to move through time and space whenever he felt like it?  
My mind was weaving a web of confused questions until the sun rose. I felt my eyes eventually grow heavy as daylight danced through my window. I rested my head to sleep for just a quick second.  
I was jolted awake by a knock on my door.   
“Miss? It’s the owner. Can I speak with you?”  
Dammit. I was supposed to help him in exchange for a place to stay. What time was it? I rolled over to look at Jongin, and, not to my surprise, he was gone. Groaning, I got out of bed and rushed to the door. I cracked it open and smiled at Mr. Wilkins.  
“I am so sorry. I was supposed to help with breakfast. Traveling just took it out of me and I laid down and I…”  
The old man simply smiled and nodded at me, “I understand, sweet heart. You needed rest. If you don’t mind, though, I do need to go to the bank. Would you be able to sit at the front desk for me for a little while?”  
I, of course, obliged. He was a kind, little elderly man who had been willing to give me shelter with no immediate payment. There had been absolutely no way that I could tell him, “no.” I hurriedly put on clothes and brushed my hair make it presentable. As I sat at the front desk, I replayed what Jongin had said about not being there when he had been there before. I wondered if he was right. Surely, I could re-write what he had already seen? Maybe I had been there, he just could not remember me because we had not met in London yet? No, no. That made no sense; in London he would have recognized me, and that had definitely been the first time that we had met. I laid my head down on the desk for a moment and groaned out loud, “Why is all of this so complicated?”  
“Why is what complicated?” I jumped when I heard Mr. Wilkin’s voice behind me. I felt my cheeks flush red as I tried to come up with a bold faced lie to tell this kind, generous man.  
“Oh, um, well, it’s just that–” I fumbled over my words and he chuckled.  
“Love problems?”  
It was my turn to laugh, “it is about a man, but it has been a very, very long time since I have been in love.”  
“Well, my dear, don’t run from it forever. You may end up running a motel old and alone one day without it.” Mr. Wilkins winked at me and told me to go about my day, thanking me for helping him.  
I stood, but then sat back down, “Do you mind if I stay and help some more? I need to keep myself distracted and I think that working might help with that.” He nodded and handed me a stack of guest information paperwork. I started to file it away, attempting to focus on it as a distraction, but it failed. Ideas to see Jongin again continued to play on repeat through my brain, and it was anxiety inducing, to be honest. Finally, my searching for a solution came to an abrupt halt.  
“I’ve got it!” I accidentally shouted out loud.  
“Filing always helps me work out my problems too,” Mr. Wilkins voice was a grin from the other side of the office.  
“Thank you, Mr. Wilkins,” I ran up and hugged him, “I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow. I’ve got to get to my next destination.” I helped him clean up around the inn the rest of the night before heading up to my room and packing my bags for my trip. I would leave the moment that I woke up. I was going to the Philippines to find Kan-Laon for myself. Maybe, just maybe, I could convince him to free Jongin from this horrible cycle.  
Philippines, 1956  
The trip to the Philippines was long. As it turns out, I absolutely despise boat rides. A fishing crew had been kind enough to let me tag along free of charge since they were heading that way anyway, and I had my own food. The majority of the time on the ocean had me with my head tucked between my knees, begging for it to be over. It had been smooth waters, but if I watched the shoreline moving ahead or behind us, my stomach decided to tie itself into knots. I wanted to avoid painting the boat’s floor with my vomit, so I spent most of the time with my eyes shut.  
When we finally arrived on the island of Negros, I thanked the crew and one of them said, “be careful on your journey.” I nodded my appreciation and began walking. Locals were all willing enough to point me in the right direction, which happened to be 12 miles or so from the shore where we had landed. Translating was tough. It took several folks before I found one that spoke even a miniscule amount of the same language as me, but he was helpful.  
The hike was hard and most of it uphill. My bag weighed on my spine heavily, and the air was thicker than anything I was used to. I wanted nothing more than to shed layers of clothing, but the bugs here were exceptionally large and terrifying. I ended up wrapping a shirt around my neck to avoid any unnecessary bites and stings.  
As it was growing darker, I saw the volcano within a realistic and reachable distance. It had been several hours, and I considered stopping for the night and finding this God of Time in the morning. What’s one more day to an immortal, after all? But one more day to me could be an endless cycle for Jongin. Who knew how many places he would be sent while I was asleep. How many places had he been since I began the trip here? I sighed, readjusted my bag, and made my way to the volcano’s base.  
Exactly how in the hell was I going to do this? Should I walk around the perimeter first? Maybe Kan-Laon would just be happily hanging out down there so I would not have to climb up the whole damn thing.  
“Please don’t be at the very top,” I whined out loud to myself. Unfortunately, he was not at the foot of the volcano. Just my luck. Several hours later, in the dark and a few miles up the volcano, I sat down, drained. This was going to be impossible, at this rate. There were trees and other plants wrapping the volcano in dense vegetation that would not let me see far enough ahead up the mountain.  
I laid down on my bag and clapped my hands over my face, frustrated. A deep sigh escaped my chest, and I heard somebody laugh next to me. I jolted up, expecting a tobacco farmer or a tourist to be staring at me. Instead, it was Jongin.  
“Fancy seeing you here,” he smirked, and I squealed.  
“Oh my god!” I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck. I was sweaty and, more than likely, smelled horrible. That did not seem to deter him, though, as he hugged me back, tight.  
“What the hell, Mia?” he asked when I finally let go, “What are you doing here?”  
“I came to give Kan Loan a talking to.”  
His eyes softened, and he brushed a stray strand of dirty hair out of my face and said, “what in the world would make you want to do that? You don’t know me at all. Why would you travel all of this way for that?”  
“I know what a nightmare it is to be a victim to time. Nobody else should have to suffer at the hands of it.” I shrugged and made it seem like I hadn’t just bared my soul to him.  
Before he could say anything though, a gravelly voice from behind us made us jump.  
“Do either of you have a match that I can use for my pipe?”  
We spun on our heels, and I felt Jongin go rigid next to me. In the darkness that surrounded us, I could make out a little, old Filipino man. He was hunched over and his skin was tanned and wrinkled, making him look like he was as old as the mountain. He hands were gnarled and the pipe in his grip was shaking.  
This had to be him. This was Kan-Laon. There was no way that it could not be.  
“Hello, Jongin. Hello Mia.” He said.  
“You know my name?” I asked, squinting to try and take in his details.  
“Naturally. I have been keeping an eye on Jongin, and I must admit I never expected him to cross paths with the same person twice! What an exceptional story you have!” He clicked his tongue against his teeth several times, something sounding akin to laugher, before hobbling over to a hollowed out log to sit his body down on. “Immortality. Who knew that a mortal would achieve it. It’s amazing what some of the other gods will put right out there for mortals to play with.” Instead of either of us lighting his tobacco pipe for him, it began smoking on it’s own completely.  
He took a few puffs before asking, “Now…what can I do for you Mia? It’s not every day that people come looking for me. Intentional visitors are rare.”  
Having him address me directly made my mouth go dry, and I bit my lip. His appearance made him look unassuming, but I’d learned this lesson already. Just because it looked like a dumb plant, doesn’t mean it won’t ruin your life. Just because he looks like an old man, doesn’t mean he was.  
But then I felt the warmth of Jongin’s hand brush against mine and I turned to look at him. He seemed to know exactly what I was thinking, and why I was hesitating. His eyes, always so expressive, told me that it was perfectly fine for me to walk away, to not. I’d been burned by the gods before, he knew. According to him, there was no reason to throw myself headfirst in their sights again.  
Jokes on him though, because that face was the entire reason that I turned back to Kan Laon and said,  
“I wanted to see if you would free–” I was not able to even get my full explanation past my lips before the old man cackled, interrupting me.  
“Let me tell you a story, young ones.” He gestured for Jongin and I to sit down in front of him, like children to a fortune teller. It took me back to an old memory of sitting with my family around the fires of our village elders, before all the stories were about me. Jongin looked at me expectantly, and I shook away the ghosts of the past and took my place at the god’s feet.  
After smoking a little bit more, smoke billowed from his mouth as he started:  
“When I first created this mountain, it was just that: a mountain. I wanted to be able to watch over my entire island with ease. I was happy with my creation, and I knew my people would learn to love living by the ocean and having access to fertile land to plant on.  
One day, as I was sitting and watching the years move, a group of men approached my mountain and I. They asked if it was possible for them to plant tobacco crops across my broadside. I thought about it, and decided that it would be okay. I wanted the people of my island to prosper, but I also wanted a place of the mountain to remain my own.  
So I drew a line at the top of the mountain and asked them to not cross it. I told them that this was where my private lands started. They happily agreed, and I may or may not have assisted their crops in growing quickly. It pleased me to see them so happy and their families successful.  
After a time, I took to traveling the world. I knew that my people would do fine without me, so I left for several years. You see, I wanted to collect ideas for ways to improve the life around my mountain. The world was gorgeous. Places capped with snow that glistened like millions of stars when the sunlight hit it just right. I saw places with ranges of mountains and places as flat and as dry as an ashtray. I met many different, other gods. Some used paint brushes to paint their canyons with reds and oranges, and some danced to summon fire and bless those with vitality. I saw fields of wildflowers in blues and greens and pinks.”  
He smiled slightly as though he was picturing it again before continuing.  
“But, when I finally did return home, I was disappointed to see that my villagers had disobeyed the one order that I had given them. They had planted past my line. I wanted to come home and rest and walk through my land, but I was appalled to see that it had been cleaned out against my will.  
In my fatigue, I erupted. Literally and metaphorically. I burst the top of the mountain off and burned the crops with lava from the core of the earth. See where the entrance to the volcano starts? That’s where they were supposed to stop. It was at that moment that I decided that I would not let anybody at all ever take advantage of me again.”

He eyed Jongin as he said, “I test tourists and visitors. I like to see what is in people’s hearts. When a crop of trees becomes ill, we burn the cluster to destroy the infection. So it is with corruption in the hearts of man.”  
Jongin’s eyes met the ground. I saw his chest rise and fall heavily. Knowing Kan-Laon’s story must have made him feel guilty.  
“But, sir,” I felt my brow scrunch together, “surely someone being rude isn’t worth an eternity of time travel with no rest or hope of ever settling. Isn’t that extreme?”  
“It was not just that he was rude. He began digging on my land without permission. He simply assumed he was welcome to whatever he wanted here. It was infuriating to find somebody so intrusive, and then for him to treat a stranger the way that he did…” He shook his head in disappointment.  
With a snap of his fingers, Jongin was gone again.  
I threw my head back and groaned.  
“Jongin understands what he did wrong, though. He made a mistake. He tampered with something that he shouldn’t have, just like I did. Let me help him redeem himself. At least give him the hope of having a comfortable and happy life again, because I’ll never get that option.” I begged. Kan Laon stared at me for a long time. We held eye contact, and he sighed.  
“I’m touched by your desire to help him so. I’ll allow you to aid him in his freedom. When he can prove to me that he is willing to change the hardness of his heart, I will free him. I will free him in any time or place of his choice.” My heart leapt into my throat.  
“Thank you! Thank you so much.” I could not sincerely thank him enough. Excitement bubbled over and I could not hold back the joy I felt spreading across my face.  
“But know this child…you two will not be able to fool me. I will know the intentions of his heart. It will not be until he does something genuine that I will release him.” Kan Laon said gruffly, adjusting himself like an old man who didn’t like the terms of the bet he’d just made. I quickly nodded in understanding.  
“Why do you care so much?” Kan Laon asked quietly, taking a few puffs of his pipe.  
“It’s like I said, I made a mistake too.” I shrugged, but then tried to act properly in the presence of a god, “I’m in an eternal purgatory. It’s not fair that somebody else should be in one as well if he can change it.”  
Kan Laon mirrored my shrug, and then we both shrugged in solidarity. He pulled one foot up across his knee and settled into the log like it was his throne. I took it as m sign to leave, so I grabbed my bag and tried to figure out how I was going to get down the mountain in the dark…but not before I asked one more question.  
“Is it possible for me to ask where you sent him? I have spent my entire life traveling and I would like to know where I can go to prepare to find him.” I genuinely hoped that he would give me any type of idea of where to go.  
“Los Angeles, California. 1999. A place called ‘Time.’”  
I laughed at the irony, because for the first time, it was a something to look forward to.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *SMUT THIS CHAPTER*  
> Mia, a girl from an archaic village in a land before anything that we know today, dabbled in something that she should not have. She now faces the constant repercussions of the hell that is eternal life.  
> One day, she stumbles across a frazzled man, only for him to immediately disappear. Imagine both of their shock when they run into each other decades later, both looking exactly the same, neither having aged a day.  
> Mia and Jongin venture off to find solutions for both of the curses they are faced with, but can the time traveler with no control of where he goes, or when, and the immortal girl piece the solutions together fast enough?

CALIFORNIA 1956 - 1990’s  
Time crawled.  
I guess it hobbled like an old man, considering that was the form that Kan-Laon chose to take on. Why an old man? Why, if you had all of the powers of time and space, would you choose that form?  
It was really neat to watch California grow and change over time. I spent most of my time on the beach, working various jobs in various town along coastlines. Originally, I stuck to jobs that kept me outside. I ate up as much sunshine as I could. I would cycle between lifeguarding and swim lessons every few months, depending on the weather. Embracing my inner beach bum during the “hippie” ages was a blast. A chunk of the 60’s and 70’s were as a bit of blur for me, if I’m being honest. Days were spent teaching children how to float and hold their breath, and nights were spent blowing smoke rings toward the moon next to a bonfire.  
Many beautiful souls crossed my path during this time. It was actually wonderful. The beach was a wonderful, temporary, home to strangers “finding themselves.” One of my favorites was a man named Yixing. He drew a crowd to his fire one night with his guitar and angelic voice. He told stories of making music and traveling and he was extremely endearing. We spent the night singing Beatles’ songs and sectioning off the sky to count every single star. He left the next morning at sunrise with a wave and promise to me to make it as a musician.  
It made me feel less permanent to know that I, more than likely, would not ever see any of these people ever again. They were temporary to me, and I was temporary to them. They would probably wonder what happened to “that girl from that one night on the beach that we smoked too much marijuana.” Hopefully, they would revisit those nights and smile fondly.  
Some of them would never think about me again. That was a good feeling, too. The thing that Jongin had said about being a “local legend” really stuck with me. To know that I was a story at home was a bit unnerving. I was hoping that The Tale Of Mia had faded. Eventually, surely it will; but to know that I was fleeting to others was refreshing.  
I felt myself becoming more anxious as the 80’s crawled by. I moved up and down the coast line still, but also realized that I needed to keep myself close to Los Angeles eventually. Keeping an ear to the ground for any new places in LA called “Time,” I landed in San Diego for a bit. I figured that it was close enough, yet still far enough that I could move back to LA eventually and not be recognized for not aging.  
San Diego, 1987  
I took a job at a bank. It was time to get some stable, steady income. A bank was a skill that I would be able to take with me anywhere that I decided to go, and I was ready for something a bit more consistent. It became quickly apparent that I was fairly decent with numbers. I worked a lot to keep myself busy. I enjoyed what I did. The decision was a good one, and I was even able to save up some money between rent and groceries to take some night classes at a local college. It was just a few hours a week, but I figured that with a consistent job and a business degree, as time went on, jobs would be easier to come by. It was refreshing that the last few years, women had become much more independent. It was less eyebrow-raising when I told people I was a single woman working too care for myself. Thank goodness, too. Ever since Junmyeon, I had never wanted to play the housewife role again. That memory, though hundreds and hundreds of years old, was still too fresh for me.  
I kept to myself. Well, myself and the cat that I decided to get to keep in my apartment with me. I named her Momo. She was a calico that kept me warm at night and let me divulge all of my deep secrets of the world to her. Of course, I was cordial to my coworkers and classmates, but I had become accustomed to years of loneliness. I could not even being to imagine making friends. My life had become so focused on waiting for Jongin to come back around. Days melted into each other, one no more significant than another.  
That was, until one day, one of my coworkers approached me during lunch. I knew his name was Jinyoung, and that he had cute ears and was handsome, but that had been about the extent of it. I definitely had not been expecting him to walk up in the break room one day and ask if he could join me as I was in the middle of a bite of my salad.  
With a deer in the headlight look slapped across my face, all that I could do was nod and watch him pull out the chair across from me.  
“So, what’s your story, Mia?” he asked as he unwrapped his burger from McDonald’s. I had never, personally, been a fan of fast food, but he somehow managed to devour greasy drive thru food daily and keep a fit figure.  
“My story?” I furrowed my brow.  
“Yeah. Like, why are you always alone. I feel like you live this secret double like and keep everyone away from you for a reason.” He was too spot-on for comfort until he leaned forward and whispered, “if you’re a spy, you can tell me. Your secret will be safe with me.”  
I laughed and put a finger up to my lips. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”  
Jinyoung smiled and said, “I knew it.”  
Having interaction was nice. Well, interaction that wasn’t Momo. Having somebody actually respond when I would tell a story was refreshing. Jinyoung was genuinely interested in my tales of nights on the beach, (I left out the fact that those stories were 20-30 years old,) and he asked about my night classes. Over time, what had been just one lunch together turned into two, which turned into a daily routine. One day, he was staring at me intensely as I opened the soda can he had brought me for the day.  
“What?!” I finally asked.  
“You’re gorgeous, yknow?”  
His blunt answer had me taken aback. Before I could respond, he said, “I would say I’m sorry for my abruptness, but I’m not. Let’s go out tonight. Like, actually go out.”  
I could not get an answer out fast enough, I had not expected this, and Jinyoung took that as his opportunity to run before I could say “no.” He told me that he would wait for me after work and he would drive us to dinner. It wasn’t that I did not want to go to dinner with him. I actually really, really did. The impending disaster was just already choking at me before the date could even start.  
As the day came to a close, I saw Jinyoung start to count his money and file all of his documents away for the day. My mind began to race and run through all of the scenarios that it could come up with to get out of this date. Would he believe that Momo had separation anxiety and that I had to immediately go home or my cat would freak out? I had never mentioned any family. I could fake an emergency and leave town and never come back. But I had my night classes to finish up this semester and that would be a waste of money… Plus leaving town to avoid a date seemed pretty extreme…  
As I was gnawing on the end of my pen reeling through excuses, Jinyoung had snuck up behind me.  
“You ready to go?” I jumped and spun around in my chair. He had untucked his shirt and rolled up the sleeves slightly. His tie had come off and his top two buttons were undone. He was leaning against my door frame of my cubicle and had a charming smile. Any reason to give him an excuse not to go washed away and I nodded and jumped up. I put my deposits away for the day and grabbed my jacket, following him out of the back door.  
He had chosen a nice little diner for dinner. I was relieved to see that it was not a fancy, cliche date night type restaurant. We sat in a booth and talked about the crazy customers we had that day. He asked how school was and what I planned on doing once all of that was done.  
I shrugged. “I always considered opening up my own restaurant or bar or something. It would be great to not have to work for anybody anymore. I kind of want to be my own boss. I have never really ever stayed in one place for a long time, and I think some consistency and running my own life would be amazing. Does that sound silly?” I blushed slightly at how open I was being with him. I had always worked really hard to be reserved and closed off to other people. It had been refreshing to have Jinyoung lately.  
“What? You mean you don’t plan on working for the bank forever and being Mr. Davidson’s pawn?!” His sarcastic tone made me chuckle. “I think it would be great, though. I can see you as being the kind of girl who runs her own dive bar. A cool, hip place for people to go and enjoy themselves after a long day at work.”  
“That’s sweet of you. What about you, Jinyoung? What does your future look like?”  
“I don’t really know.” he shrugged, “I’ve always pictured myself as the, ‘married with a family and kids,’ kind of guy.” I smiled. It was fitting for him. Sometimes, I managed to forget that not everybody lived the kind of life that I did. People settled in one spot.  
An overwhelming sadness overwhelmed me as he asked me, “do you see any of that in your future?”  
I did my best to not let my tears show as I looked down, stirring my drink with my straw. “I don’t think so. I did, once. His name was Junmyeon and things seemed promising…” I trailed off before I cleared my throat. “Sorry! Shouldn’t talk about exes on a date! My bad.” I tried to laugh and he let the corner of his mouth pull up into a gentle smile.

“Nah. It’s nice to see the human side of you. You’re always so put together and distant. Everyone at work has you on a pedestal because you do your job so well and always seem to have your life together. It’s nice to know that there’s normal part of you.”  
I laughed, probably a little bit too loud. If only he knew.  
At the end of the night, Jinyoung took me back to my car at work. He opened my door and walked me the few feet to my parking spot. There wasn’t much of a gap between us, but what little there was had an electricity flowing through it.  
“Can I kiss you?” His question was soft. His eyes locked with mine as I nodded.  
It was not my first kiss, but it was my first kiss in several centuries. His lips on mine practically melted me.  
As quickly as I had agreed, however, I just as quickly pulled away.  
“Goodnight, Jinyoung.” I smiled at him to let him know that he had not done anything wrong. He leaned forward and kissed my cheek one more time before telling me he would see me tomorrow. I watched him bite his bottom lip to suppress a huge smile as he got back in his car. When he thought he was out of my sight, (he wasn’t), I saw him release it and beam as he started to drive away.  
I sat in my car for a moment, pressing my head against the top of my steering wheel.  
“Fuck.” was all that I could think.  
Jinyoung acted as though everything was totally normal the next day. As if we had not kissed in the parking lot the night before. He pretended as though I was still the same coworker I had been the day before. We still ate across the same table in the break room from one another. We still spoke to each other with a professional demeanor.  
That night, I assumed he may ask me what my plans were. Instead, he waved goodbye and went on his way.  
Three days after our date, he pulled me aside. All that my brain could scream at me was, “here we go again. This time you can tell him no.” which was total bullshit because there was no way that I could tell him no. I was actually starting to like him.  
Stupid.  
“MIa? Can we talk?” Jinyoung’s face was stern, and my stomach twisted a weird way.  
I nodded and let him lead me to the breakroom. Instead of taking his normal chair, he sat on the table next to mine. I sat down and looked at him, waiting for him to say anything. He rested his elbows on his knees and nibbled at his lip. Even looking flustered, he was still very cute.  
“Something’s come up,” he started, “and I’m not sure how to talk to you about it.”  
“Words should suffice.” I hoped that my witty remark would lighten the situation. I’ve had my ex husband tell me to get the hell out of our house and never come back. Whatever Jinyoung was trying to tell me would, more than likely, not sting as much. The joke seemed to work, as his eyes softened a bit as he rolled them and nudged me.  
“Corporate called me a couple of days ago. They want me to take on a new branch they’re building…” he trailed off, and I understood. He was being distant since our date because he’s moving. I know that he assumed that I would be upset.  
“Jinyoung! That’s awesome! Where are they sending you?” I smiled, genuinely happy for him. I could tell that he was taken aback by it.  
“Oh. Um. Kansas.”  
I scrunched my nose. “Ew. That doesn’t sound like a promotion to me.” I stood up and hugged him. I kissed him, less reservations this time. Knowing that he was going to be gone made it easier for me since I now knew there would be no commitment behind it. “I’m happy for you.” I told him.  
“I was afraid you were going to be mad. I had another question, though.” he looked hesitant. “Will you come with me? I’ll need staff. A team that I can trust. I’m scared, honestly. I don’t want to go alone.”  
This time, I hesitated.  
“I can’t.” I whispered.  
“I kind of assumed that would be your answer.” He tried to smile, but it waverd a bit.  
“There’s a reason I’m in California,” I told him, “and I wish that I could explain it to you, but I can’t. I just need you to know that there’s a reason that I’m here.”  
He nodded, and hugged me again. He kissed my forehead.  
“You’d be a fun adventure, Mia. I’m sad to have to leave you behind.”  
A few weeks went by, and eventually Jinyoung left. I met him at his apartment the day that he did. I handed him a bag of fruit and some bottles of water, demanding that he not just eat fast food and junk food on his way to Kansas.  
He laughed and promised. He pat the side of his trailer and asked, “last chance. You sure that you don’t want to come with me and try a new state? A new life?”  
I kissed his cheek and wished him luck. He squeezed my hand, and, before climbing into the driver’s seat said, “open your bar. Be your own boss, Mia.” I watched as he drove off, wondering if he’d be a permanent memory, or a fleeting one.  
Los Angeles, 1999  
I listened to him. After I finished night school, I obtained my degree in business, with a minor in finance. I moved to Los Angeles in 1995. I became impatient. It grew exhausting waiting for a place called “Time” to open, and I decided to just open the damn place myself. I laughed at the fact that Kan Laon left THAT detail out, but I would scold the deity of time the next time that I saw him.  
It was not a high end bar. It wasn’t divey either, though. It was a casual hang out, and it took off and was a very popular place. I rented a building that had an apartment on the second floor. Itw was nice, because I was able to sell my car to get some extra money to get started. I lived where I worked, which meant no commute and no traffic.  
Jinyoung was right. I had successful, after work hang out place. I had several regulars, and the years 1997 and 1998 flew by. From January 1, 1999, my nerves were on edge. Every night, I waited for Jongin to show up. Every night, I walked up my stairs disappointed. I knew that I had survived hundreds and hundreds of years, and that every single one melted together. It was impossible to believe that I had been around for as long as I had; it had all happened in a blink of an eye. Time had flown. So why was this year taking an eternity in itself? January was melting into February at the pace of molasses in the snow. February dragged itself into March wearing concrete boots, and March into April wearing those same concrete boots, but through quicksand.  
The year was taking forever, and Jongin was nowhere to be seen.  
By the time December rolled around, I was livid. Had Kan-Laon tricked me? Had he lied to me for wanting to help Jongin? Had I wasted time and money and resources that I could have been using to find him by standing still and waiting?  
On December 31, 1999, I was hosting a New Year’s Eve party at the bar. A lot of the usual patrons had shown up, and everyone was having a blast. I was pouring shots left and right. My other bartenders, Jennie and Joy, were racking up tips left and right. They were beautiful girls, and it had been fun working with them. I had missed having girl friends, and it was nice to have some extra help around the place.  
Jennie walked up to me as I ran to the back to grab some more bottles, and said, “there is the hottest man that just showed up. He’s not one of the regulars. He’s wearing like, super old timey clothes. He looks like a totally confused, sad, lost puppy and I just want to take him home. ”  
My heart skipped a beat.  
Old clothes? Confused, sad, lost puppy?  
I shoved the bottles in Jennie’s arms and ran back to the bar.  
He was here. Three hours before 1999 ended, Kim Jongin had shown back up. He was sitting at the bar, his back resting against it. I walked up and simply said, “hey, stranger.”  
Jongin turned to me, and I don’t think that I have ever seen relief cross somebody’s face so quickly. He practically dove over the bar to hug me. “I didn’t know how long it would be until I saw you again.” he said. I saw one of my security guards heading our direction quickly, and I had to wave him down and tell him that I was okay. My arms tightened around Jongin’s neck, and I squeezed tightly.  
“Oh my god, Jongin.” I whispered. I had missed him. That realization threw me off. He was healing an ache in my chest that I had not even realized was there. We finally broke our hug apart and I told Jennie and Joy that I was going to call it a night. I told them to not worry about splitting the tips with me, and to make sure they locked up after last call. We were closed the next day, so I told them not to worry about cleaning up. I would come and take care of it myself.  
Jongin and I left, my fingers laced through his to drag him through the crowd of people. I had searched for him for so long. I was not going to lose him now. We walked outside. I needed the fresh air.  
“Where have you been?!” I asked him.  
“What do you mean? I just left the volcano. I came straight here.” he responded as his brow furrowed.  
“Kan Laon is an asshole.” I whispered. I caught Jongin looking around he was definitely caught off guard by where he was. He spun in a few circles before he looked back at me. He smiled a bit.  
“What are you wearing?”  
I looked down at my torn, high waisted jeans, neon top, and flannel wrapped around my waist. Shrugging, I said, “it’s 1999, Jongin. It’s called ‘grunge.’ Get with the times.”  
He smirked. “I kind of like it on you.”  
We ended up in a shop nearby, buying him some more modern clothes. He ended up going with a pair of jeans and a grunge-style band t-shirt. It was simple, but suited him well. He would blend in now, well, as well as he could blend in for how ethereal he appeared. Jongin stood out in any crowd with how gorgeous he was.  
“Look at that,” I beamed, “you fit right in!”  
We walked down to the beach. On the way there, I told him what Kan Laon had told me in regards to him helping others in order to gain his freedom from his cycle. He listened while gnawing on his bottom lip, eyebrows crinkled together in the middle. He was quiet until we actually reached the shore line. Taking his shoes and socks off, he dipped his toes in the water, despite it actually being chilly in December in California. I watched him; I studied his movements.  
“How am I supposed to just suddenly care for people that I’ve never met?” he finally signed. His shoulders slumped and a defeated look crossed his face. I could tell that this was going to be a lot harder than I had thought for Jongin. I had always assumed that people were good until I was proven otherwise. Was I wrong about Jongin? Was he naturally that selfish? Was I wasting my time helping a lost cause?  
“I don’t know,” I started, “but we have to try to start. Maybe, the more you show him that you are actually going to try, Kan Laon will let you stay in more places at a time longer?”  
He sat down right at the shoreline. I about had a conniption at the fact that I had just purchased those jeans for him, but, quickly realized that wet jeans were a trivial problem in the grand scheme of things. I stayed standing next to him, arms folded as we stared at the pitch black horizon. There was no deciphering the sky from the ocean. It felt endless, which was a feeling I was familiar with. He rested his head against my leg.  
He may have been selfish- but he was lost. He was scared.  
I ran my fingers through his hair to comfort him. We stood in silence, listening to the ocean lap against the shore for a while. I wished that I had the right words. Comforting Jongin was escaping me, and I hated that.  
“Okay,” I finally said, “it’s New Year’s Eve. It’s nearing midnight. We are going to go out and celebrate the fact that you’re actually here!” I helped Jongin to his feet. “I’ve waited for a very, very long time for you to show up! Let’s go out and have a few drinks.”

Jongin ran his hand along the back of his neck. “Actually, I’ve been so many places lately with so many people, would it be possible for us to just go somewhere quiet?” We decided to just go have a few drinks at my place. The bar was still crazy busy, but I snuck a bottle from the bar and winked at the girls as I headed upstairs to my loft. I poured a couple of glasses of whiskey. Jongin and I propped open my balcony door and watched the city move.  
“You know, people are saying that 2000 is the end of the world.” I sipped my drink as I turned to him.  
“Wouldn’t that be nice for both of us?” Jongin chuckled. “Isn’t it lonely? Do you ever wish you could just have one constant thing or person in your life?”  
I choked back a knot in my throat. I remembered Junmyeon and Jinyoung; my lost chances at consistency. “Well, with our lifestyles, we don’t exactly get ‘consistent.’ It would be nice, though. I miss affection and being held. Sometimes, I’m glad I have my own life to live. A life that I can make my own decisions and choices without consulting anyone. But, yeah, I guess ‘lonely’ is a pretty common feeling.”  
Fireworks suddenly lit up the ocean. I hadn’t been expecting the burst of color, and I smiled.  
“Guess the world isn’t ending.” With a shrug I said, “Happy New Year, Jongin.”  
Suddenly, his hands cupped my face and his lips met mine. I kissed back with absolutely no hesitation. My arms wrapped around him instinctively. Suddenly, with more fervor, Jongin grabbed one of my legs and hiked it around his waist. He pressed me against the balcony door, pressing our bodies tight together.  
His mouth wandered down to my neck, pressing sweet kisses and bites to my collarbone, and suddenly I lost my balance.  
Jongin was gone.  
“God dammit, Kan Laon!” I was immensely irritated. “I have not been laid in so fucking long! The first person in centuries I can consciously sleep with and not risk some bullshit with, who is super hot, I might add, and you take him from me right now?!”  
I snatched up our empty glasses from the patio table and went back inside, muttering under my breath. “God of time and space has a fucking sense of humor, huh?” I blindly bumped into furniture, guided only by moonlight and random flashes of a few straggling firework explosions before I made it to the kitchen. Hitting the light switch with my elbow, I walked over to the sink and set the glasses down, probably a bit more aggressively than I should have. I half expected them to shatter, thankful when they didn’t.  
“Cockblocked by damn deity.”  
I cut through the dining room to finish cleaning, and jumped about seven feet in the air when I saw Jongin sitting at a chair there, laughing. “Frustrated, Mia?” he asked.  
“What the hell?” I gasped, dramatically clutching my chest, “where did you come from?”  
“I didn’t go too many places, but apparently Kan Laon found it in his heart to let me come back to finish what I started when he heard your tantrum.”  
“How kind of him,” I said as I closed the gap between us. He stood up to meet me and guided me to the bed. “And it wasn’t a tantrum.” I muttered.  
“It was kind of cute.” Jongin hovered over me, an arm on either side of me. He kissed me hard again. He pressed his hips down onto mine and I could feel that he was ready for me. He moved down my body and unbuttoned my jeans. He pulled them down my legs, and I removed my t-shirt as he did so. He stood and took his clothes off before joining me on the bed again. I positioned myself on top of him this time. He was sat up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He wasted no time and did not even bother to ask me to take my panties off. He moved the fabric to the side and I slid down onto his length.  
A gasp of pleasure escaped my lips as my head fell back. Jongin placed kisses along my chest and placed love bites along my neck as he gave me a moment to adjust. Finally, I allowed my hips to rock back and forth. He filled me perfectly with every moment, brushing against a long-neglected sweet spot. My nails dug into his shoulders as I picked up the tempo. Our movements were rhythmic as we mingled moans of one another’s names. His voice as smooth as honey filling my ears as my orgasm began to build in my core. I felt the warmth in my stomach form and I felt myself tighten around him. Before I could even prepare for it, my climax burst from me. Jongin’s name left my lips as though it was the last word that I would ever say.  
He did not even give me enough time to fully ride it out before he flipped me onto my back. Jongin pulled one of my legs over his shoulder and filled me deeper than I thought possible. I was so sensitive from my still ongoing orgasm. My breathing was ragged as he pinned my arms down by my wrists, aggressively fucking me. My back arched as a fresh wave of pleasure washed over me at the same time as Jongin met his orgasm.  
He rested on top of me as we caught our breath. I repeated the action of stroking his hair as I embraced the feeling of his body on mine. To embrace another person in such an intimate way was refreshing. I had missed this feeling so much. Although it was not deep love making as Junmyeon had been, it had still been passionate. It felt amazing to just be with another person in this way.  
We finally sat up to get ready for bed. After grabbing a couple of glasses of water and adjusting the sheets, I climbed in next to Jongin. He was sat up and I leaned against him. He traced circles into my bare shoulder and arms as he kissed the top of my head.  
“I’m sorry if that was too much.” he whispered against my hair.  
“What do you mean?” I asked. My eyes were fighting to stay open. It had been an exciting and event-filled day.  
“I guess, thinking about it, we don’t actually know each other super well. I just… you’re so willing to help me, and you’re so beautiful, Mia. You have a kind heart. I feel so connected to you.” He was fumbling over his words, but his intentions were pure.  
“We’ll be okay, Jongin. We’re gonna get this sorted out for you.” I turned and nuzzled a bit deeper into him.  
“What about you, though?” His voice was getting softer, and we were both fading into sleep. I did not even answer. I knew better, so I just let the drowsiness win.  
I wasn’t surprised the next morning when Jongin was gone. Where had he gone next? I wish that I knew. Not one single clue existed other than the list he had given me the second night that we had met. It was at least something to go off of.  
It was time to leave California. Time for the search for Jongin to begin again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mia, a girl from an archaic village in a land before anything that we know today, dabbled in something that she should not have. She now faces the constant repercussions of the hell that is eternal life.  
> One day, she stumbles across a frazzled man, only for him to immediately disappear. Imagine both of their shock when they run into each other decades later, both looking exactly the same, neither having aged a day.  
> Mia and Jongin venture off to find solutions for both of the curses they are faced with, but can the time traveler with no control of where he goes, or when, and the immortal girl piece the solutions together fast enough?

Los Angeles, 2000.  
The following day, I was downstairs cleaning up from the New Year’s party the night before. It was a lazy cleaning. I was dragging a giant trash bag around, brushing cans and napkins off of tables. The thought of bending over and actually picking up trash off of the floor sounded less than enjoyable. Remnants of the whisky and lack of sleep from the night before left a minor headache throbbing against my skull.  
The sound of knocking on the bar door caught me off guard. I opened the door, glaring at the sunlight streaming in. After my eyes adjusted, I saw Jennie and Joy there. Jennie was holding a giant cup of gas station coffee in her hands.  
“Here!” she thrust the cup at me, “if this doesn’t wake you up, nothing will. It’s essentially gasoline, but it’ll help.”  
“Why are you guys here?” I was confused. I had told them to take the day off to recuperate from closing the night before. I had gone to bed before the bar had even closed, and I figured that they would be more tired than I was.  
As I took a sip of the “coffee” that the had brought me, Joy said, “we couldn’t leave you to clean alone. We made half of this mess anyway. Plus, we were really curious about the guy that you took upstairs last night.” Ah. The real reason they came by to help out.  
I laughed, and handed them each a trash bag to pick stuff up as I began to wipe the bar down.  
“Oh. That was Jongin.” His name brought a smile to my lips and a blush to my cheeks. “He’s an old friend…” If only they knew. “I wasn’t expecting to see him last night! I’m sorry I bailed and left y’all to close up, by the way.”  
Joy shrugged, “you’re the owner of this place. You have employees for stuff like closing when you need to run off and, uh, fraternize, with the patrons.” I thought that I was already blushing to my full extent, but her comment proved me wrong. I’m sure that I matched the color of the neon buzzing overhead in the Budwiser sign.  
“Are you gonna make us beg for the details of who he is and what happened, or are you just going to spill already!?”Jennie spit out. She shook her trash bag and stomped her feet, throwing a faux fit. She stuck her bottom lip out and crossed her arms, completing the look of her toddler impersonation.  
“Fine!” I raised my hands in mock surrender, “fine! Jongin and I met a while back in London. It was a brief meeting. We were both traveling and he was lost. I tried to help him find where he was going, but he was gone before I had a chance. We ran into each other a couple more times on other random explorations,” I couldn’t remember how much I had divulged before. Like relationships, I attempted to keep friendships vague. I remembered telling the girls that I had been in San Diego before this, but has I told them about the Philippines? This was why I didn’t keep people close. Too much lying to juggle.  
“How romantic of fate to let you keep bumping into each other!” Joy rested her chin in her hands on the bar while she settled in for the rest of the story.  
Chuckling, I said, “I’m not sure it was fate, but I digress. Seeing him last night was a breath of fresh air. You get so caught up in a routine that you take for granted people you don’t see for a long time. I had hoped that I would see Jongin again, but the gods are always finicky. You never know if they’re going to let your hopes play out or not.”  
Both girls had stopped cleaning and camped out at the bar. They were silent, waiting for me to continue with my story. “Basically, an excruciatingly long story cut short, Jongin and I are both wanderers. Sometimes it works out that we see each other. The world is big, but apparently small enough for us to cross paths.” I didn’t know how to keep the story going without mentioning immortality and time travel. I just wanted to figure out my next step.  
“So, is he still upstairs?” Jennie raised an eyebrow.  
“No. No. He left again this morning. He had to get on the road…” I trailed off, annoyed that I had no clues as to where to find Jongin again.   
“Why don’t you travel with him?” Joy’s question caught me off guard. It was really difficult to not just say, “Because I can’t travel through space and time.”  
“This is why you need to just cave in and get a cell phone.” Jennie flipped hers open and I remembered Jongin talking about phones that one day would let us see each other’s faces while we talked, even if we were halfway across the world.  
“That would make it easier, I’m sure. Jongin’s travels are very…” I paused, trying to find the word, “unconventional.”I’m not exactly prime company for his lifestyle.”  
“You literally mentioned selling the bar to travel a few days ago!” Joy said shrilly. “You love to travel. You’re very obviously bored and restless with this life. So go! It’s obvious that you two are meant to cross paths again. So do it! Get out there,” she gestured toward the bar door, “and find him!”  
My goal had been to leave soon anyway, but Joy’s words were that extra boost that I had needed. I put the bar on the market the next day. It wasn’t long until I had two potential buyers - Joy and Jennie. I was shocked the day they came in and offered to buy it from me. They had run the books themselves many times, they understood the love and care that went into it. It was their home away from their dorms, and they did not want to see it go to an unreliable owner who would change the vibe and feeling of it. I was shocked to see the bank give such young girls with no real collateral a business loan, but proud of them for stepping up to own their own business. I signed it over to them with no hesitation. It was a prime location, and I even had other offers for more money for it. Although the extra travel money would have been nice, I had grown fond of my bar. It was what Jinyoung had encouraged me to do. It was my first real thing that had been “mine.” The girls would keep it the way it was intended to be.  
I used part of the money from selling it to buy a car. It wasn’t anything fancy. A simple SUV to keep my clothes and essentials in. Jeannie even bought all of my furniture off of me and took over leasing the apartment upstairs from the bar.  
“I’m tired of living on campus. This is a blessing!” she beamed as I handed her the keys to the studio. My cat, Momo, would stay with her too. I loved that cat, but a life on the road was not going to be good for her.  
The day I left, Jennie and Joy gave me huge hugs. Jennie handed me a slip of paper and said, “whenever you decide to get a cell phone, feel free to call me. I’d love to hear how you’re doing and catch up!” I nodded and promised that, eventually, I would.  
My car was filled up with gas, I had groceries, and I had a book of maps in the car with me. I pulled out the list that Jongin and I had written down all of those years ago. The original paper had, of course, faded and torn. I had re-written it so many times and stuck copies in many places to make sure that I didn’t lose it.  
Not that it mattered, of course. If I had run into Jongin anywhere in any of these places, he would have seen me. I pressed my head against my steering wheel. It was the first time since I had left Junmyeon that I genuinely felt alone again. I had absolutely zero direction. It seemed like a waste to go to seen Kan Laon again. I couldn’t guarantee that he would be willing to give me a second clue as to where the best place to find Jongin would be.  
I put the car in drive, and just… went.  
I headed east. I remembered Jongin’s story of Santa Ana and decided to go to San Antonio, Texas. I knew that I would, more than likely, have zero chance of seeing him, but it was at least a step in a different direction.  
The trip took a little over a day. I stopped in New Mexico to sleep. Before I left to hit the road again, I sat watching the sunrise over Diablo canyon. I began contemplating on the past few decades. What a weird thing to acknowledge. Decades. Centuries. How long had this canyon been a canyon? How long did it take the river below to carve into this exact moment that I was seeing? Had I had any lasting effect on the world around me? I had been around for so long, surely I could have used that to start something long lasting and beneficial?  
I shuddered at the thought of my insignificance despite seeing so much for so long.  
The sun painted the sky with hues of pink and orange as it draped itself over the plateaus of the rocks in front of me. My coffee kept my hands warm, and, I closed my eyes for a moment. Finally, I stood up and made my way back to my car. An existential crisis about having no positive influence on the world was the absolute last thing that I needed.  
San Antonio Texas, 2000.  
I made it to the heart of the city about 9 hours later. It was nearing evening, and the tourists were bustling. I found the Alamo that I had studied about a while back during one of my night history classes. Jongin had said that Santa Ana was an “intense” man, and I believed it. Walking through the piece of history that stood the tests of time was surreal. I saw people stand in places where others had died. Where blood had been shed so long ago and these people snapped pictures, smiling, as if tormented ghosts did not walk next to them.  
Walking around downtown San Antonio was interesting. I didn’t know what I would do here, but I assumed that I should find a place to sleep before it got too late. I chose a hotel right off of the Riverwalk and meandered along it for drinks and food. I figured that, after owning a bar and having to be responsible behind one, that I would be able to cut loose for a night. I chose a place called “The Esquire Tavern.” It had been open since 1933, after prohibition ended, (what a dark time that had been. Yeesh.) and I guess I was drawn to things that had been around despite the ever changing times.  
I sat outside on the patio, watching the lights flash on the river below me. San Antonio in January was luckily what most people considered “spring” in other places. There was no ocean to cause a chilling breeze, and it was warm enough to just need a long sleeved shirt and jeans. My table was near the railing, so I stood up and leaned against it, sipping a drink of whiskey and ginger. Laughter rang through the trees from people drunk off of margaritas and happiness. It was a beautiful moment. For how much dark history this city held, it was beautiful to see it filled with a light air now. The contrast was interesting to consider.  
My server came up to me and asked if everything was okay. I hadn’t touched my burger, and I realized that that might have come off as offensive to him. His name was Yanan and he had been very sweet. I smiled and said, “it’s great! Just taking in the city. It’s my first time here.”  
He smiled and said, “well, I’m glad that you chose to spend it with us at Esquire. What brings you here?”  
“Kind of looking for a friend. Kind of looking for myself.” I shrugged, “not really anything in particular.”  
Yanan furrowed his eyebrows. “You didn’t plan to meet your friend before just packing up and coming to the city?”  
“I realize how weird that sounds,” I laughed, “but he’s a hard man to get a hold of…” I paused and my face made an unintentional grimace, “and how creepy-stalker that all might have sounded…”  
He chuckled and glanced at his watch. “Well,” he said, “my shift ends in 30 minutes. I could keep you company while you sit and people watch to see if you see him.” He smiled softly at me. He had black hair that hung loose over his eyes and a closed-lipped smile that pulled his cheeks in a cute way. I returned his smile and thanked him. I made sure to close out my tab with him so that he could close his books before joining me.  
Yanan was quiet, but sweet. I asked him what there was to do in San Antonio as another waitress, (whose name I was less interested in committing to memory,) brought Yanan and I another round of drinks. He had brought me one on his dime before he came and sat with me, so this was my third, and I was feeling the warmth from the alcohol flowing through me.  
“You could always go to the Six Flags that we have here. It’s called ‘Fiesta Texas’ and it’s pretty fun.” Yanan swirled his old fashion around and took a small sip. “Or you could catch a Spurs game depending on how long you’re in town for. I don’t know how long you’ll be around searching for your friend. What’s his name, by the way? I might have served him recently.”  
I laughed a bit as I said, “you remember the name of every person you’ve served?”  
“Depends. If they’re worth remembering. What’s yours, by the way? I realized I never asked and that’s super rude of me.” He grinned awkwardly and I responded with “Mia” before reaching out to shake his hand.  
“That’s a name I’ll remember.” he flirted before saying, “Well, Mia. I was going to meet my friend Yuto at Davenport that’s a little bit more downtown. Would you be interested in joining? He was wrapping up working a charity fundraiser event at the hotel he works at. Some guy named Kim Jongin was raising a bunch of money to build some homeless shelters around town so Yuto had to work late.”  
I froze. I’m sure that I looked as though I had just been shot through the heart.  
“Jongin?” I repeated it. It wasn’t a very common name.  
“Yeah.” Yanan shrugged. “Nobody has any idea who he is. He just showed up and asked to put on this huge event. Had no money to use the conference room or anything. Someone walking by heard what he was trying to do and paid for the whole event! He liked what Jongin was trying to do and he offered to pay for it all. Must be nice to be rich.” Yanan shrugged again before tossing his drink back.  
I stood up abruptly, scaring the hell out of Yanan. He clutched his chest and said, “are you okay?!”  
“What hotel was this at? What hotel was Jongin at?”  
Realization hit him as he said, “that’s your friend, isn’t it?”  
I nodded. Surely the fates weren’t that much on my side. Had I actually managed to pick a place that Jongin ended up at the same time? It seemed too good to be true.  
It was.  
“Yuto said that he bolted once the fundraiser was over. He was only here for a few days, I guess. The mayor tried to find him to thank him for his incredible contribution and wanted to give him credit, but he was long gone. Nobody had even seen him leave. It was like he had just disappeared…” He stopped talking when he saw me slouch back down in my chair and cover my face in frustration.  
“This guy mean a lot to you?”  
“I mean, it’s really complicated.”  
“Complicated like the whole ‘he’s not your boyfriend but he is” kind of complicated?” Yanan looked completely confused, and I couldn’t blame him.  
“Ugh. I wish I knew how to explain it.” I ran my hands down my cheeks, and I’m sure the look on my face screamed “defeat.” This had to have been a cruel joke that Kan Laon was playing on me; Jongin and I in the same city, but only a few hours apart. How am I supposed to ever find him? Would this happen often? What did I even try to do next? Where do I go?  
Yanan softened his expression and said, “The invitation stands to join us tonight, Mia. But, if you choose to not take it, I hope that you figure out your complications. Life is meant to be lived. Not stressed out about.” He reached over and cupped my shoulder before walking off. Another interaction with a person that I would be left to wonder about their future.  
Everywhere 2000-2017  
I didn’t know what to do from there. I had no real, set plan. It was impossible to have any inkling of where to even begin. Eventually, my money would run out without settling somewhere again. I wondered if it was worth going to Kansas to see Jinyoung and get a job at his branch. 2000 was 13 years since we had worked together. That was out of the question.  
Over the next seventeen years, I played my old game. I traveled from place to place, temporarily working for a few years to maintain an income. It was dreary doing it all over again. I made sure that I would not form any connections like I had with Jinyoung and Joy and Jennie this time. I was not going to risk missing people again. There had been no sign of Jongin at all either. Not even a whisper of his name in the US again since the fundraiser in Texas.  
I branched out. I ended up traveling the globe. I had not been to London since I had first met Jongin, so I wanted to go see how it changed. I ended up in Rome and Italy for a while. I trekked through jungles in South America. Brazil had a gorgeous winery I worked at for a while. Everybody was so hospitable. Several strangers allowed me shelter during storms and meals in exchange for help. I lived a full life. Realistically, it was a life many dreamed of. Uninhibited travel with no time restrictions? Who wouldn’t want that? The world was changing fast, and I got to witness every bit of it.  
Oh my god, it was lonely. I saw hundreds of faces, and not a single one was the specific one that I had hoped to see.  
Seoul, South Korea 2017  
Toward the end of 2017, I went to South Korea. Jongin’s list had pinned him here at some point in the year, and it had been brief. I was certain that I had missed him, but it was worth some sort of shot, right?  
I meandered through a small market. The sun was setting and rows of twinkling lights were turning on outside. Some vendors were closing up for the night, but were kind enough to let me buy a few things from them as a final sale. I purchased some fruit and sandwich makings to take back to my room. I was on the hunt for some sweet, plum wine to enjoy tonight when I felt someone run directly into me. My footing was lost under me, and I dropped my bags, which, luckily stayed in tact. The person, oh!, the child who ran into me flushed a deep red.  
“I’m so sorry, ma’am!” he said, flustered and speaking fast. He apologized about nine more times and he bent down to help grab my stuff. He couldn’t have been more than nine or ten. I was surprised to see him at a market alone. I wasn’t allowed in certain areas of my village alone at that age, and that was a long time before any of the major fears and dangers that exist today were around.  
“It’s okay, honey! You’re fine!” I attempted to comfort him, but I could tell he seemed flustered at his clumsiness.  
“Please, let me make it up to you!” he said, “my abeoji always tells me to take care of other people. Please. Come to dinner at my home.” He looked up at me, and I could see how kind his eyes were. My gut told me to follow the boy home. Even if his father turned me away, at least I could ensure his safe return to his house.  
I nodded and reached for his hand. He walked me through the city, telling me about different buildings. His name was Jinwoo. My heart grew fond of him immediately. I had always wanted kids before this happened. With my body being unable to change, it was not even remotely close to a possibility for me anymore, but my soft spot for children had remained.  
We walked up to a large building Jinwoo claimed to be his home. It did not look like a house, and I hesitated on the front steps. I saw the sign over the top of the building. I had not mastered Korean yet, so the Hangul reading “고아원” meant nothing to me. I asked Jinwoo what that meant, and he looked at the ground. He kicked at a rock and said, “it means ‘Orphanage.’”  
He was an orphan.  
My heart sank. I reached out to him and asked how he had ended up here.  
“My eomma had gotten sick.” he started, “She didn’t make it very long after that. They kept telling me she would make it, and she didn’t. My dad, well, I don’t really call him ‘my dad’ anymore, he drank a lot after she was gone. One day, he left and just never came back. I ended up just sleeping on the streets until my new father found me and took me in as his own. We started this place together! Come inside and see!”  
His tone had started out very sad and changed to a very bright, light tone once he had mentioned starting the home. He grabbed my hand again and dragged me inside. He shouted that he was home, and told me to follow him to the kitchen. We walked through immaculate hallways with rows of pictures of kids of all ages. We cut through a the living room where a group of boys and girls sat playing video games and laughing. The stereotypical orphanage in movies and tv shows was never this elaborate.  
Jinwoo and I arrived in the kitchen and I stopped in the door frame.  
It was impossible.  
It was Jongin.  
“Appa!” Jinwoo ran up and tugged his shirt, “I brought someone for dinner. I accidentally ran into her and made her drop her bags. I hope you don’t mind. I wanted to say sorry by feeding her a good meal!”  
Jongin ruffled the boy’s hair before he turned and made eye contact with me.  
He dropped the rag he was holding. The air felt thick and an electricity ran through my veins. I don’t think that I was even breathing. The fear of moving and something changing to cause Jongin to disappear kept me glued to the ground. Had I fallen asleep in the hotel when I arrived in Seoul and was just dreaming about him? Jongin was there.  
After a beat, however, Jongin’s hesitation dissipated. He ran up to me, embracing me. “Mia. Sweet Mia. You found me.” His hands wrapped around me tighter than ever, as if he were afraid that I would be the one to disappear from his arms. I could feel his heartbeat against mine, and I nearly sobbed realizing that this was real.  
Jinwoo said, “uhhh, do you two know each other or something?” and that brought us back to the current moment, breaking our hug.  
Jongin laughed and sent him on his way. I thanked him for bringing me home with him.  
Jongin poured me a cup of cocoa and handed it to me as I sat down at the table. “How did you know where to find me?” he asked, staring at me in disbelief. The air around us was perfectly still for a moment. I stared into his deep brown eyes, like I had longed to do for almost twenty years. He was still as handsome as he was in LA, as he was in Negros, and as he had been in London when I first saw him. I reached out to touch his cheek. He was really here. How long had it been for him? How many visits had he jumped through before this reunition?   
I started to ask him, but then realized that he had asked me a question before I got lost in thought.  
“I didn’t. I had your list, but you had said that you had been here so briefly. I didn’t think I would actually find you.”  
He nodded. “I can’t believe you still have that list. Kan Laon took me from South Korea, and then brought me back eventually to almost the exact same moment. This time, I was in a different part of the city. It’s where I met Jinwoo.” Jongin smiled in the direction that Jinwoo had ran out to go play with his friends.  
“What’s happened since you left me in LA?” I leaned forward, placing my cup on the table. My eyes refused to leave Jongin. I couldn’t handle the thought of him disappearing again, although it seemed as though Kan Laon was going to leave him here for a while.  
“It’s been a rough journey.” he chuckled, “It’s hard to start just randomly caring for people. The first three places I was at, I wasn’t even there long enough to know where I was. I tried just helping strangers on the street, but they all looked at me as if I were a crazy person. I probably came off as one. I was so angry at their lack of willingness to help me help them, that I would lash out and yell at them. Which is, y’know, the opposite of what I was trying to do. I was always immediately taken away after that.”  
He took a sip of his drink and continued, “I ended up in your home village, Mia.”  
My breath hitched in my throat as he said, “I was lost and tired and hungry. An older couple let me come stay with them. They had a second room that they let me stay in. No questions were asked. Nothing was said about my clothes or my dirty hair or my sad demeanor. They both shared that same sadness behind their eyes. They refused to let me lift a finger to help. They selflessly let me stay with them at no expense to me.  
“That night at dinner, they told me how they had sent their daughter away. It had been the biggest mistake of their lives, and they regret every moment since. They had made it their goal to help people the way that they knew that she would have. The didn’t expect her to ever come back, but they hoped they could share her love and make up for the mistake that they had made.”  
Jongin reached over and wiped the tears off of my cheeks. My parents. Jongin had stayed with my parents.  
“I realized in that moment how selfish I had been. I did not want to look back on a choice and regret it. It was then that I made my life goal to help everyone I met in any way that I could; and, Mia. I have met some extraordinary people.  
“I have fought fires and saved lives. For a while, I helped elderly people live at home and take care of themselves until their last days, making their passings more peaceful and comfortable. It was my second time in Seoul when I landed here and saw Jinwoo. He was under a bridge, shivering and cold. I took off my jacket and wrapped him in it. The poor boy was dirty and cold, but he offered me part of his apple, thanking me for the jacket. Here he was, that apple being the only thing that he would eat for who knows how long, and he was willing to share it with me.”  
Tears hadn’t stopped pouring from my eyes since Jongin had mentioned my parents. They did not stop and Jongin continued to tell me about how Jinwoo would wash dishes just to get by for scraps and a tiny bit of change. This boy with a heart of gold had been abandoned. The world was so unfair at times.  
“I got to work and managed to scrape up enough quickly for a small place for the two of us.” Jongin continued. “Then, one day, Jinwoo brought a little girl home. She couldn’t have been more than three, and she had been left alone. Her parents had never picked her up from school, and it was dark before Jinwoo had found her. The police had found her house, but it had been emptied. Some people aren’t cut out for having kids.” Jongin shook his head and I could see a brief moment where disgust for this little girl’s parents crossed his face. He shook it off and said, “that was when I knew what my purpose was. It wasn’t being an archeologist, staring at rare dirt compounds from volcanoes. It was this.”  
He spread his arms wide and grinned.  
“I managed to get a loan to buy this building. The city was willing to find a new orphanage, and at the grand opening, the number of donations for toys and clothes and food that we received were staggering.”  
He grabbed my hand again and led me through the house again. We went out front and sat on the steps. The biting winter wind was blocked by the building, but the temperature drop made me shiver. Jongin wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. Smiling at me, he said, “these kids are my entire life. Some come and then go. Some stay a while. Jinwoo has already told me he refuses to be adopted because he just wants me to be his dad. Nobody else.”  
I was touched by Jongin’s story. He asked me to stay. He asked me to help him take care of the kids with him, and I happily obliged. At first, it was anxiety inducing. I would wake up every morning in a panic that Jongin would be gone again. It had happened the last two times that we had stayed overnight in the same place, but eventually, that fear subsided; for the most part, that is. The image of waking up alone one morning was burned in my brain, as the God of Time did seem to be unpredictable and have a pretty terrible sense of humor when it came to stuff like that.  
I found a job in town to help bring in an income to help keep the building’s rent paid on time. We helped the kids with homework nightly, and I made them create a “chore chart.” Every week, we took them out for movies or video games or some sort of fun activity. Although I was unable to bare children of my own, I felt that hole in my heart seal by caring for each of these kids.  
2024  
Time, which generally crawled at an alarmingly slow rate, flew this time around. Before I knew it, seven years had passed. I blinked and Jinwoo was suddenly a teenager. One night in particular, he had an attitude and we had a spat about his cell phone. He had been sent to his room for rolling his eyes at me, and muttered some comment about being taller than me and knowing I hid his phone on top of the fridge when I took it from him.  
Jongin and I went and sat outside. We did this almost nightly once the kids had gone to bed ever since I had moved into the house. It gave us some rest and silence; a moment to recuperate from the exhausting days that we had. Jongin was recounting a funny story about one of our toddlers that had happened while I was out, and I noticed something while he laughed. Wrinkles formed at the edges around his eyes, and I ran my thumb along the laugh lines. I took a moment to really look at him right then. He was aging like a fine wine. The older that Jongin got, the more handsome he was. He looked distinguished with a paternal look resting over him.  
The realization of him growing older shook me. I had never taken into consideration that he would continue to grow older. In my mind, since he was in a time loop, he would stay frozen like I was. I was saddened to realize just how wrong that I was.  
“My time here is almost up, Jongin,” I whispered. “I’m not aging and you are. Somebody is going to notice. I’ve already been here too long.” My words were shaky. I had been avoiding this conversation for a while, but it was time to have it.  
That was when his face fell. It was obvious that every fiber of his being wanted to fight with me on it, but he knew better. He knew me. He had known me since 1926, and not once had my face changed. It was inevitable that this was going to happen eventually. “I don’t want you to go. I wish that I could say that I would go with you. But, I can’t leave these kids. I’m already constantly terrified that Kan Laon will take me. That he still won’t think that I’m doing what he expects of me.” Jongin looked back at the building. “The day he pulls me from these kids is the day that my heart breaks forever.”  
Immediately after he said those words, I felt the cold from the air disappear. It was suddenly sticky and hot. Trees surrounded us, and I was confused. Jongin and I stood rooted, trying to figure out how in the hell we had just been transported when we had been sitting on our porch moments before. For being in the middle of a bunch of random trees, something about the area felt familiar. Jog in and I turned on the spot when we heard a laugh behind us.  
It was Kan Laon, clapping his hands enthusiastically. “You both have succeeded!”  
Jongin and I repeated, “both?”  
“Jongin, you learned to be selfless. I did not think you could do it. I watched you try to help that man who had rejected your offer carry a bag of feed for his dogs. You tore the bag and spilled it everywhere. I did not think you would ever find a moral ground. I anticipated to send you everywhere in the world, but that you would stay selfish.”  
An angry glare burned in Jongin’s eyes, but it was put out quickly when Kan Laon said, “I mean, can you blame me? I simply had asked you for a match to light my pipe and you told me to go away. That whatever you were working on was more important than an old man smoking.”  
”Mia. You saw your life as a sentence. You found a calling that you would be willing to do forever if you could. You found a purpose. It took a few hundred years, but you did. Rather than just live place to place, you realized that you can have an impact in a short time. Time is not a curse, you two. Lack of time is not a curse. You mortals are on earth for the specific allotted amount of it to do something with it.  
”I will remove your curse, Jongin. You can decide where and when you wish to be.”  
”With my babies, of course. I fear leaving them every day. Please send me back to them?”  
With a nod, Jongin was gone. I felt a strange mixed emotion that bordered somewhere between sadness and pride. He had proved himself. He had earned his place out of his cycle.  
I shook Kan Laon’s hand and thanked him. I was walking off, when I heard him speak behind me.  
”Where are you going?”  
I shrugged, “I guess to figure out how to use this life for good. I want to help. But I can’t stay anywhere long. I’ll swing by Seoul again to say a final goodbye to the kids and Jongin. But I promise to try to figure out how to do this again.”  
Kan Laon tutted and shook his head. ”You did not think that I would free him, and not you?”  
“Can you reverse the effects of ambrosia?”  
He chuckled and snapped his fingers. He said, “Stay, Mia.” and then snapped his fingers.  
I was back on the porch with Jongin. He hugged me and kissed my forehead. We were done. We were done with the consequences of our mistakes. We were free.  
Seoul, 2038  
One day, I passed a mirror when something caught my attention. I noticed a grey hair. I was always so concerned with the kids that I never really paid much attention to myself much. I had gotten so used to how I had looked over centuries of looking the same, I was very caught off guard by what I saw today. I examined myself in mirror and saw an older version of me. Lines around my face that weren’t there before were now prominent.  
Jongin leaned against the door frame and smiled softly. “You okay, Mia?”  
“I yearned for aging and death for so long, but realizing that it could come in the future was suddenly scary.” I smiled at him before saying, “I’m okay. I lived more life than anybody ever could. I have quite a ways to go before death actually comes for me; and it is going to be a very full life until it does.”


End file.
